The accident happened at around 1:40 a.m. local time on Thursday in the Ma'anshan section of the Yangtze River, the country's longest river, in China's eastern province of Anhui. The boat was carrying 21 people on a trip from Ma'anshan City to Hexian County when the accident happened.
"As of now, nine people have been rescued and search-and-rescue is in progress for twelve people still missing," a spokesperson for the State Administration of Work Safety said. Several of the survivors were taken to the intensive care unit at Ma'anshan People's Hospital, but their conditions were not immediately known.
The boat, which was also carrying five trucks, three cars and two electric bikes, was not overloaded, according to the administration of navigational affairs of the Yangtze River, an agency under the Ministry of Transport.
The ferry station has been cordoned off by the local police to facilitate the rescue effort.
According to the official Sina Weibo account of the city government of Ma'anshan, at least 24 boats have been sent to search for the missing and salvage the sunken boat.
Ferry services from Ma'anshan have been suspended.
"The boat sank some 500 meters from the bank and right in the middle of the river, causing us a lot of trouble with the rescue and salvage," said a firefighter at site.
Authorities said they were investigating the cause of the accident.
Saturday 18 August 2012
http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/727460.shtml
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